Plier-type, article-holding wrench



P 1960 D. s. BUCHHEIM 2,952,178

PLIERTYPE, ARTICLE'.HOLDING WRENCH Filed Jan. 21, 1959 INVENTOR .Do/wup S. BUcM/E/M ATTORNEY United States Patent.

PLlER-TYPE, ARTICLE-HOLDING WRENCH Donald S. Buchheim, Lindenhurst, N.Y., assignor t0 Republic Aviation Corporation, near Farmlngdale, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 788,113

9 Claims. or. 81-55) This invention relates, in general, to tools and more specifically to a new, compound wrench, useful, among other things, for loosening and tightening cooperating articles or elements such as locknuts, or the like, or shafts threadably coupled one to the other.

7 In various mechanical applications wherein two members are normally screwed together in locking engagement, as for example in the case of small portable pneumatic or electric drills employing drill bits screwed into rotary shafts, as well as in many other devicesinvolving two adjacent nuts or shouldered members normally locked together, unlocking or locking obviously requires that both members be securely gripped while one is screwed away from or against the other. For this purpose it has hitherto usually been necessary to employ two separate wrenches. However, this practice has entailed a number of disadvantages, particularly in the case of small pneumatic drills. The shaft of these drills is generally provided with an extension having opposed flat sides or any other polygonal periphery and a threaded opening to receive a bit. The bit is also provided with a polygonal or hexagonal flange to facilitate removal of the bit by the use of two separate wrenches, one to hold the drill shaft and the other toengage the bit. The use of two Wrenches in this way is obviously both awkward and difficult since the operator generally holds the main drill mechanism itself while loosening the bit. As a result, it is not infrequent that at least one of the wrenches, and sometimes the drill, is dropped. Since drill bits are changed frequently, it is manifest that substantial losses of time can be incurred due to this awkward method of changing bits. It will be evident that the use of separate wrenches presents similar and related difficulties in a variety of other situations. I

Accordingly, an object of the present invention resides in the provision of a single compound wrench adapted to grip or engage two articles or elements concurrently and move them one relative tothe other.

A further object resides in the provision of a compound wrench for gripping two locknuts or other such articles or elements and which is readily operable with one hand to move the same one relative to the other.

A further object resides in the provision of a compound wrench having two relatively movable element-engaging members and wherein concentricity of the members is automatically maintained between the two simultaneous wrenching functions.

A further object resides in the provision of a tool of the above characteristics which is simple, compact and readily operable in diflicult and relatively inaccessible locations.

With the above and other objects in view as will be apparent, the present invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of the compound wrench assembly in accordance with the invention;

Patented Sept. 13, 1960 Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section of the wrench of Fig. 1

taken along the line 22 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the cooperative wrenching members of the compound wrench of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view of the other wrenching member of the compound Wrench of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view partially in section illustrating the application of the device in accordance with the invention to release a drill bit from a small pneumatic drill; I

Fig. 6 is an end view of the front portion of the structure of Fig. 5 showing the compound wrench position before release of the drill bit;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to'Fig. 6 but showing the position of the wrenchmembers after release of the drill bit;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of one of the wrench members;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary assembly View of a compound wrench embodying the structure of Fig. 8 and showing the wrench member in engagement with a pair of locknuts; I

Fig. 10 is a view, similar to Fig. 9 illustrating the un locked position of the wrench members; and v Fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional View taken along the line 1111 of Fig. 10.

Referring to Figs; 1 through 4, the numeral 20 designates a first fiat wrench member of the straight open-end type, having a head portion 21 with a jaw or socket 22 formed therein with parallel flat sides 23 that are adapted to engage or grip an article or element, as for example a nut, and a handle 24. The longitudinal axis of the handle 24 is disposed to one sidev of but substantially parallel to a center-line 25 passing equi-distantly between the two flat sides 23 of the socket 22. A small opening or hole 26 in the head portion 21 has its center located on the center-line 25 and is spaced at a predetermined distance' R from the normal operative center or axis C of the socket 22.

A second flat, open-end wrench member 27 includes a head portion 33 that is provided with a jaw or socket 30 having flat sides 29 to engage or grip an article or element, such as a nut, or the opposed flats on a polygonal body, and a handle 31. The handle 31 is angularly disposed with respect to the head 33, i.e., a center-line 28 passing equi-distantly from and parallel to the flat sides 29 of the socket 30 is disposed at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the handle 31. The head portion 33 is provided with an arcuate slot 32 that extends throughout a substantial angular distance on a radius R which is substantially equal to the distance R shown in Fig. 3.

The two wrench members are operatively secured together by a pin 34 (Fig. 2), or other suitable fastening means, extending through the hole 26 in wrench member 21 and the slot 32 in the head 33 of the wrench member 27. Washers 35 are carried by the pin 34 adjoining the outer surfaces of the Wrench heads 21 and 33 and a spacing washer 36 is disposed on the pin 34 between the two wrench heads 21 and 33. These washers facilitate free relative pivotal and sliding movement of the wrench members, though it is evident that other means may be utilized for this purpose. Moreover, the washer 36 serves to hold the wrench members 20 and 27, and hence their respective jaws 22 and 30, in spaced relationship for purposes which will hereinafter be more fully set forth.

While the compound wrench, in accordance with the invention, is useful for many purposes, one important application resides in the loosening of a drill bit mounted in a pneumatic drill as shown in Fig. 5. The small pneumatic hand drill denoted by the numeral 37 has an internally threaded rotary shaft 38 terminating in a short polygonal or otherwise flattened extension or flange 39.

A drill bit 40 for use in such a device includes a threaded shank 41 and a polygonal or flat-sided flange 42. The bit is installed in the shaft 38 by screwing the shank 41 of the bit 40 into the threaded drive shaft 38 until the flange 42 shoulders or abuts against the shaft extension 39, as shown. As the rotation of the drill is in the tightening direction, the normal operation of drilling jams the bit flange 42 and shaft extension 39 tightly together in the manner of a lock-nut combination, requiring a positive wrenching effort to dislodge the bit 40 from the shaft 38.

To accomplish this operation with the present invention, the compound wrench is slipped into place as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, with the jaw 22 of the wrench member 20 and the jaw 30 of the wrench member 27 gripping or engaging the shaft extension 39 and drill bit flange 42, respectively, with the handles 24 and 31 occupying the angularly spread position illustrated in Fig. 6. To operate the wrench, the operator merely squeezes the. two handles 24 and 31 together with one hand to the position shown in Fig. 7, the relative angular motion unlocking the bit 40 from the shaft 38, after which the wrench is withdrawn and the loosened bit is readily spun out by hand.

During the foregoing operation the arcuate slot 32 and pin 34 provide concentric guiding aotion, while the washers 35 on the pin 34 restrain any tendency for either wrench member to rock out of proper operative engagement. Moreover, the spacer 36 serves to maintain the wrench members 20 and 27 in spaced relationship whereby the jaw 22 in the former engages only the shaft extension 39, while the jaw 30 in the latter engages only the drill bit flange 42.

In the form of the device thus far described, a small amount of rotary play is provided which permits easy application and removal of the wrench combination when the flats of the nuts or flanges are not in exact alignment. However, in cases where the device is intended for precision applications wherein such rotary play is not desired, the structure of wrenching member 20 may be of the modified form shown in Fig. 8. In this case the pin opening 26a is formed as a slot extending along the centerline 25 toward the end of the recess 22, a distance approximately equal to the length of the flats 23.

The operation of the modified embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 9, and 11 as applied to two adjacent nuts 43 and 44 on a threaded shaft 45. This is substantially the same condition as that described above, except that when the two nuts occupy a position of angular misalignment suflicient to interfere with simultaneous application or removal of the two closely-fitting jaws or sockets in the wrench members, the slot 26a permits the wrench member 20 to be retracted outwardly to allow the engagement of the jaw 30 of the wrench member 27 with one nut, i.e., nut 43, whereupon the wrench member 20 may then be moved to engage its jaw 22 with the other nut, i.e., nut 44. Thereafter, the operation of the compound wrench is the same as that heretofore set forth. In short, the handles 24 and 31 are squeezed together to rotate either the head 21, the head 33, or both and thereby disengage the nuts 43 and 44.

While the foregoing descriptions have dealt with embodiments of the invention particularly adapted for loosening lock-nut combinations having right-hand threads, it is evident that it is not limited to such uses. For instance, the forms shown in Figs. 1 and 9, while ideally adapted to loosening right-hand threaded combinations by compressing the handles as noted, may also be used to tighten right-hand threads or to loosen left-hand threads by moving the two handles apart or outwardly one of the other, ample extent being provided in the arcuate slot 32 for such additional angular spread. Similarly, the device may be initially assembled with the angularly relationship of the two wrench members reversed, thus rendering it adaptable for use in loosening locknuts having left-hand threads. Another variation consists in making both Wrench members of the straight open-end or socket type, one containing the longitudinal slot 26a and the other, the arcuate slot 32 disposed symmetrically with respect to the latters center-line. With this arrangement, each of the two wrench members can be initially swung to a position with its handle on either side of the other, providing a universal general-purpose combination by which the described convenient compressive or squeezing action may be applied to any of the operations of locking or unlocking either right-hand or left-hand threads.

While the invention as described above embodies in all cases the same general structural combination, simplicity and advantageous operation, it is to be understood that it is not limited to the exact forms illustrated, as various modifictaions may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A compound wrench comprising a first wrench member having a socket, a pin disposed in said member at a predetermined distance from the operative center of said socket, a second wrench member having a socket and an arcuate slot on a mean radius from the operative center of said socket substantially equal to said predetermined distance, said pin being disposed in said slot whereby the sides of said slot engage said pin in movable guiding relation, and means on said pin to retain said wrench members in substantially parallel operative attachment.

2. A compound wrench according to claim 1 wherein said wrench members are of flat construction, and a spacer is disposed on said pin between said wrench members.

3. A compound wrench comprising first and second wrench members each having a handle portion and a head portion, a socket including spaced parallel gripping flats in each of said head portions, a pin extending through one of said wrench members at a predetermined distance from the operative center of the socket therein, said second wrench member having an arcuate slot formed on a mean radius from the operative center of its socket substantially equal to said predetermined distance, said pin being disposed in said slot for movement relative thereto, and means on said pin to retain said wrench members in substantial parallel operative attachment, the handle portion of at least one of said members extending in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of said parallel gripping flats of said wrench member.

4. A compound wrench comprising first and second wrench members each having a handle portion and a head portion, means in each of said head portions forming a gripping socket including spaced parallel gripping flats, a pin extending through one of said wrench members at a predetermined distance from the operative center of the gripping socket therein, said second wrench member including an arcuate slot form on a mean radius from the operative center of the gripping socket therein substantially equal to said predetermined distance, said pin being engaged in said slot whereby the sides of said slot guide said pin and means on said pin to retain said wrench members in substantially parallel operative attachment, the handle portion of at least one of said Wrench members being angularly disposed with respect to the gripping flats in the head portion of said wrench member.

5. A compound wrench comprising first and second wrench members each having a gripping socket including spaced parallel gripping flats, said first wrench member having a straight slot extending in a direction parallel to the direction of its parallel gripping flats, a pin movably located in said slot and normally occupying an outer position therein at a predetermined distance from the operative center of said gripping socket in said first wrench 'member, said second wrench member including an arcuate slot formed on a mean radius from the operative center of the gripping socket in said second wrench meml 5 ber at a distance substantially equal to said predetermined distance, said pin engaging the sides of said arcuate slot to be guided thereby, and means on said pin to retain said two wrench members in substantially parallel operative attachment.

6. A compound wrench according to claim 5 including spacing means disposed between said two wrench members whereby said wrench members are held in spaced parallel relationship.

7. A compound wrench comprising first and second wrench members each having a handle and a head portion, gripping means including spaced parallel gripping flats in each of said head portions, said first wrench member having a straight slot formed therein extending in a direction substantially parallel to the directions of its gripping flats, said second wrench member having an arcuate slot formed on a radius about the operative center of its gripping flats, and common pivoting means slidably disposed in both said slots and including means to maintain said two wrench members in substantially parallel operational attachment.

8. A compound wrench according to claim 7 wherein the handle of at least one of said wrench members extends from the head portion thereof in a direction substantially parallel to the directions of the gripping flats in its head portion.

9. A compound wrench according to claim 7 wherein the handle of at least one of said wrench members is angularly disposed relative to the gripping flats in its head portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,261,006 Bartelt Apr. 2, 1918 1,406,331 Bartelt Feb. 14, 1922 1,485,062 Baldus Feb. 26, 1924 1,555,096 Bartelt Sept. 29, 1925 1,572,986 Brewster Feb. 16, 1926 1,708,147 Miller Apr. 9, '1929 1,824,300 Rowland Sept. 22, 1931 1,914,827 Hammerich June 20, 1933 2,283,625 Coplen May 19, 1942 2,375,270 Yonker May 8, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 338,195 Great Britain Nov. 17, 1930 423,313 Great Britain Jan. 30, 1935 

